Fluorescent fixture



April 15, 1947. FRANClS I 2,418,926

FLUORESCENT FIXTURE Filed Aug. 22, 1945 KENNETH L, FPA N615 INVENTOR.

BY WM WW ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 15, 1947 "ieosrs TENT orr es This [invention relates to improvements in fluorescent fixtures.

Fluorescent fixtures are quite extensively employed' in industrial places, such as factories and shops, and of course also in oifices and residences.

Where large fixtures employing, for example, three or four fluorescent lamps of 48-inch length and'u'sing one or two heavy ballasts, are used, the fixtures become quite heavy.

The larger fixtures are nearly always made in two parts, one of which will be referred to hereinafter as a base and the other as the fixture body. During the installation, the base is usually first secured to the ceiling either by being placed in direct contact with the under surface thereof, or suspended therefrom by means of suitable suspension elements. The body of the fixture usually carries the lamp sockets and the ballasts and these must be connected with the wiring of the building and secured to the base.

Electricians find that it is difficult to install fixtures of the type to which this invention relates unless there are at least two men cooperating, one to hold the fixture body and the other to make the necessary wiring connections.

It is the object of this invention to produce a fluorescent fixture of such construction that the fixture body can be temporarily connected with the base during the period in which the wire connections are made and which will hold the fixture body in such a position that it can be readily tilted into its permanent position and secured to the base by means of brackets and screws, in a manner which will be hereinafter illustrated and fully described.

Having thus pointed out some of the objects of the invention and in a general way described the invention itself, the latter will now be described in detail and for this purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawing in which the invention has been illustrated, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fluorescent fixture with parts thereof broken away to disclose the construction and to facilitate the description thereof;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 22, Figure 1, showing the fixture body in normal operative position with respect to the base; and

Figure 3 is a section, to an enlarged scale, also taken on line 3-3, Figure 1, and illustrates how the fixture body is temporarily supported during the wiring operation.

In the drawing reference numeral 5 designates the base which consists of a sheet metal member 1 Claim. ($1. 240-78) 2 bent into a shape substantially like that shown in Figures 2 and 3. The base is provided near its edges with trough-like depressions 6 whose walls are formed by the reversely bent edges of the base, which has been designated by reference numeral '8. Secured to the under surface of the central portion of the base: are two or more brackets which have been designated by refer ence numeral 8. The brackets have downwardly extending inwardly inclined arms 9 terminating in short sections ID that may be transversely straight or slightly arcuate. The outwardly extending portions II are secured to the base by being spotwelded thereto, or in any other suitable way, Each bracket has a screw 12 projecting downwardly from the central portion I0 and these extend through suitable openings in the fixture body I3 and serve to anchor the latter to the base by means of nuts M. It will be noted that the fixture body has its longitudinal edges provided with inwardly extending flanges [5 that normally fit against the under surface of the base as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Secured to the inside of the fixture body is a ballast I6 which is quite heavy, When more than three lamps are employed, two ballasts are usually required, one for each pair of lamps. The sockets I! are also carried by the fixture body. The weight of the fixture body, together with that of the ballasts and the sockets is quite considerable. For the purpose of suspending the fixture body during the wiring operation, the base has been provided with supporting means comprising outwardly andupwardly extending hooks l8 cut from the material of the brackets. When th fixture is installed, the base is first secured to the supporting member, after which the fixture body is connected with the base in the manner shown in Figure 3, that is, by positioning one of the flanges 15 above the hook E8 on the brackets. In the embodiment illustrated, two brackets and two hooks are shown, but where a larger number of brackets are employed, there is a hook l8 connected with each. The fixture body is securely supported as shown in Figure 3 with the interior thereof exposed so that the electrician can make the required connections conveniently. The fixture body has holes l9 spaced to receive the screw l2 and after the wiring connections have been made, the body is tilted upwardly towards the position shown in Figure 2, the screws l2 inserted through the holes l9 and the nuts threaded onto the screws whereupon the parts will have the position shown in Figure 2.

From the above description, taken in connec-.

tion with the drawings, it will be apparent that by means of providing the brackets with hook members I8 and the fixture body with inwardly turned flanges l5, or other suitable connecting means, an electrician can, first, secure the base in position underneath the ceiling, or other supporting member, and then, support the fixture body from the hooks 18, in the manner shown in Figure 3. After the wiring connections have been made, he can.read ily tip the fixture body upwardly and insert the screws in openings l9 and apply the nuts thereto. This afiords a very convenient way of supporting the fixture body during the installation and enables one man to handle any size electrical fixture; whereas, if no supporting means is used, it is necessary to have a helper for supporting the fixture body while the electrician makes the connection.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A fluorescent fixture comprising, in combination, a base adapted to be supported from a ceiling, 'at'le'ast two brackets secured to the under surface of the base in longitudinally spaced relation,screws extending downwardly fro-m the lower ends of the brackets, a fixture body comprising an elongated sheet metal member of broadly concave convex cross section, of a size in which the 4 edges contact the under surface of the base when the lowermost portion of the concave surface is substantially in contact with the lower end of the brackets, the fixture body having openings for the reception of the downwardly extending screws, each of said brackets having an outwardly and upwardly ranging hook, the fixture body having at least one edge provided with an inturned flange for engaging the hooks to support it temporarily during installation.

KENNETH L. FRANCIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,287,565 Phillips June 23, 1942 2,329,435 Colucci Sept, 14, 1943 2,365,614 Winkler et al Dec. 19, 1944 2,400,267 Stempfl May 14, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 32,216 Sweden 1934 

